Protector In Her Midst
by Shipperwolf
Summary: POST EW When Relena is threatened by a stalker, the gundam pilots are called to watch over her. But one in particular wants the job all to himself. HYRP
1. Chapter 1

YAY, this is the first anime fic i've ever written, and it's been on paper, sitting in my closest for like 2 yrs. Enjoy, and plz feel free to comment. I own zippo of course :)

* * *

Relena Darlian lay still on her bed, arms flung out at her sides, silently staring at the ceiling veiled in darkness. She smiled half-heartedly at the calming silence, listening to the steady chirping of the various insects inhabiting her garden outside.

She had just returned from a meeting with some of the most boring delegates she had ever met. Talking, bickering, and complaints. Could they talk about anything else?

After spending the last few hours signing paperwork, it was now 11:30.

Milliardo and Noin, despite their concern for her health, had given in to her insistence to finish, and were asleep down the hall.

Relena, however, was not sleepy in the least. She had consumed two cups of extra-strength coffee a few hours ago, and was now, as Duo put it, "wired".

She was tired, but the caffeine flowing through her system prevented sleep.

Giving a soft groan of frustration, she turned towards the window, fixing her gaze on the moon outside.

Her stare did not remain there for long, however. A slight movement in the dark corner of the room caught her attention, but before she could determine the source of the motion, a large hand covered her mouth.

She suddenly found herself forced against the wall beside her bed, the other hand of her attacker holding her arms up over her head.

Relena couldn't help but release a yelp of surprise as he leaned in closer.

"Hello Miss Darlian…"

She stared up at the man, who was a full head taller than her, trying her best to keep her composure.

A chill ran up her spine a his icy whisper filled the room once more.

"The great and beautiful Relena Peacecraft isn't afraid, now is she?"

This man was obviously disturbed, she concluded.

And she mustn't show him fear.

She mustn't give him what he wants.

Looking up at him defiantly, she replied a muffled "No.".

Another gasp escaped her as he pressed his body against hers.

"Well, we may need to work on that, hm?"

'Four hundred ninety-eight, four hundred ninety-nine, five hundred.'

Heero Yuy flipped himself onto his feet, his arms feeling fuzzy from the push-ups, and headed out of his room.

As he walked through the kitchen, he quickly grabbed a bottle of water and entered the small living area of the abandoned military base he was residing in.

Turning on his laptop, he prayed for some kind of mission brief.

Nothing.

After the MarieMaya incident, Heero had accepted a position as an undercover Preventer that was offered to him by Lady Une.

He was in charge of eliminating any threats against the peace, any rebellious former soldiers who felt a need to cause trouble.

It had been nearly a week since he'd heard anything from Une.

He was becoming restless. He needed action. He needed a reason to knock someone out!

With a growl of annoyance, he snatched the remote off the desk, leaned over the back of the old sofa, and clicked on the television.

Flipping through the few channels he had, he finally stopped on the news.

Taking down another gulp of water, he quickly leaned forward as a small picture of Relena appeared in the top corner of the screen.

"In top story news today, Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian was found unconscious in her home this morning. According to Preventers Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin , she was found half-clothed and beaten.

She is currently in stable condition, under the care of the best doctors, who say she was not raped, but are pushing for 24 hour protection after release, in the event that the attacker returns…."

The rest of the message faded from Heero's mind as he recovered from a strange feeling that gripped him.

Anger filled his mind and dark thoughts rushed through it.

Here was his mission, forget waiting for Une.

He would find and torture Relena's attacker, bring him to Zechs, so that HE could torture him, then arrest him, but not before torturing him some more.

A cold feeling on his hand snapped him back to attention, and Heero realized he had been clenching his fists to the point of busting the water-bottle he held.

Tossing the torn plastic over his shoulder, stormed from the room, heading to Weapons Storage.

"So…how is shlee?"

The braided former gundam pilot slurred between eating vending-machine chips.

Zechs rolled his eyes at him.

"She's bruised, but otherwise physically fine. But I think the ordeal has taken a toll on her mental state. Hopefully….probably, it's merely a temporary state of shock. She's awake, but…"

Hilde stood abruptly from the waiting room chair.

"Come on, Duo, let's go see her."

Before Zechs or Noin could object, the two were heading down the hall towards Relena's hospital room.

"Oh, man, she doesn't look so good." Duo whispered as they stared at their friend.

Relena sat in her bed, eyes fixated onto the T.V in the corner. Her left eye was blackened, and several bruises covered her body. Smiling weakly at them, she offered a wave, but did not speak.

Duo and Hilde turned as Zechs cleared his throat behind them.

"You should try visiting her later. Right now, she needs her rest. You're both welcome to stay at the mansion…" He trailed off as Noin suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Lady Une just called. She's at the Preventer office right now, along with everyone else. They're holding a meeting and needs us to attend…now."

Duo cocked his head to one side curiously.

"Everyone else?"

The four entered Une's office, and immediately found what they'd expected to see.

All of the former gundam pilots, and company, were scattered randomly about the room, with exception of one. Duo made a mental note of the single absentee.

After many short greetings, Une tapped her desk for attention.

"Alright, now that the majority of you are all here, let's just get to the point. As you all obviously know, Relena has been attacked, and it has the ESUN in a panic. This is no assassination attempt, or some rebel threat. This man is clearly disturbed, and seems to want to hurt Relena for personal pleasure.

She's slightly traumatized at the moment, but she should be back to her old cheery self soon. I've proposed to Zechs that we all stay with her for a time, to help her through this. Think of it as….a working vacation. We'll need to…"

Duo suddenly jumped from his sitting position in a chair.

"Wait, you mean we get to stay in a huge mansion, with a butler and maid and free food and access to Zechs' gym and…."

His last words resulted in a glare from the man in question.

Zechs shot him a glare from across the room.

"YES, Duo. Except you can't go near my gym. Now, Une, please continue."

Smiling at his vain attempt to keep calm, she proceeded.

"It's possible this guy could return to do more damage. So, I've made preparations for a nightly guard to watch Relena as she sleeps. She tried to object when I told her of this, and will probably continue to, but nevertheless, it needs to be done until this man is caught."

She was rewarded with understanding nods from all attending, and continued.

"Here's how it'll go. You will all be posted in nightly shifts. You must remain awake all night, occasionally checking the perimeter in and around the home. Relena will be coming home tomorrow night. Now, who volunteers for first watch?"

An anxious look formed on her face at the silence that followed.

Duo glanced at Wufei, who glared at Trowa, who turned to Quatre, who looked back at Duo.

Each were preparing to accept when a voice sounded from the doorway.

"I'll do it. Every night."

Une smiled at the dark figure in the door.

"It's about time you got here Heero. What kept you?"

(Squee. There's ch.1!!! Feel free to voice your opinion on it, even flames if you like. But I'd rather have friendly comments. More soon!)


	2. Chapter 2

okee, here's chapter 2! I'm so hella excited that ppl are actually reading this, and i thank all who take the time to. enjoy!

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Beep, Beep, Beep….SMACK!

Such was the sequence of noises when Relena woke up. She had to restrain herself from throwing the alarm clock across the room.

She had been in a very deep sleep. For the first time since the attack.

Glancing at the clock, her eyes widened as they adjusted to the light in the room.

'Seven-thirty? No, impossible. I set it for six, I know it!'

Jumping from the bed, she purposely ignored the pain that shot through her bruised leg as she landed.

In a near panic she snatched some clothes from her closet and rushed into the bathroom. Five minutes later she re-emerged, fully clothed, her hair still damp from the shower.

Grabbing a stack of documents from her desk, she zipped out of the room, not bothering to notice the shadow that followed her.

Slowly Relena crept downstairs, unsure of whether or not her bother and Noin were awake. Seeing all was clear, she reached the door and began to turn the knob.

She suddenly froze as a hand landed firmly on her shoulder.

"And where exactly are you going?"

At first she judged it was Milliardo by the deep voice, but ruled it out as the warm body behind her pressed closer.

And the gentleness of the grip told her it wasn't her attacker.

She sighed as realization sunk in.

"Hello Heero, what brings you here?"

She spoke softly, turning to face him. Soft Cerulean eyes met cold Prussian ones, and she felt a strange twinge in her chest at his blunt, unusual reply.

"You."

At this Relena remained silent, thinking of exactly what to say. She looked up from the floor as he continued.

"Une has assigned me to protect you. Everyone else will be joining us shortly. I've been given the duty of guarding you, and keeping up your physical AND emotional health. So, Relena, I order you to return to bed immediately. You need rest."

She was completely taken aback by his words. Not just what he'd said, but the fact that he'd actually spoken on full sentences to her.

Nevertheless, he was mistaken.

She took a defiant stance against him.

"Heero, I must go to work. It's my duty to the people to---"

He again shocked her by interrupting.

"I don't care. The people are well aware of your position. Zechs will take over your duties for the next two weeks. During that time you need to enjoy your vacation. Now, I believe I told you got back to bed."

Even at his words Relena continued to object.

"No, Heero, I have to go to work. I have to fulfill my duties as…..HEERO! What on earth are you doing?"

She screamed as Heero picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder, and headed up the staircase towards her room. He completely ignored her loud protests and the pounding of her fists against his back.

Heero sat in the chair behind Relena's desk, staring at her sleeping form on the bed. He gave a small smirk at the thought of winning his earlier argument with her; he'd almost forgotten how stubborn she could be when it came to her beliefs and duties.

Leaning back in the chair a bit, he listened with advanced hearing to her labored breathing, wondering in the recesses of his mind what it would be like to be in there beside her.

'Where the hell did that come from?'

He shook the thought away. This was no time for distractions, he had a mission to concentrate on.

Switching his thoughts to other matters, he quickly glanced at the clock beside Relena's bed.

'Eight-fifty…the others should be arriving soon.'

As if on cue, the doorbell rang loudly from downstairs, breaking the silence.

Heero stood and padded as quietly as possible to the bedroom, careful not wake Relena. But he quickly found there was no sense in it.

With speed that left him in a temporary daze, Relena jumped out of bed, wide awake, and ran down the hall, calling "I'll get it!" back to him.

His well-known death glare was planted on his face as he walked up behind her, and stopped her before she reached the door.

Turning her around by her arm, he attempted to stare daggers into her.

"You were never really asleep, were you."

He stated, rather than asked, and she looked up at him with devious innocence.

"You actually think I could sleep with you staring at me from across the room?"

With that she pulled from his grip, and answered the door.

Before she could react, she was tackled to the floor by Duo, who was, as always, over dramatizing things.

"Relena! We were so worried! I'm so glad your not still traumatized! And your black eye looks better too!"

He was suddenly jerked up by the back of the shirt, and found himself facing blazing blue eyes. Slinking back, he put his hands up as a sign of mock surrender.

"Okay, I get the point Heero, chill. I'll stop touching your girl."

He then raised his fists to block any punches he were to receive, none came.

Heero stared at Relena, a barely visible blush on his face.

Yet as quickly as it had appeared, it was replaced by the usual stone-statue look.

As the guests began to pile in, Duo whispered to Relena from behind, "At least he's capable of embarrassment, that's one good sign."

Relena merely nodded in agreement and motioned for them to follow her upstairs.

As she showed everyone to their rooms, Heero tried hard to ignore the looks given to him by Dorothy and Catherine. They pointed at Relena, glancing at him while doing so, smiling and truly annoying him.

Purposely avoiding hearing range, he growled at their display of typical girlishness, and walked further ahead of them.

"And this will be Wufei and Sally's room. Unless you would rather not sleep with a 'weak onna'. Hm?"

Relena smiled as Wufei turned a shade of red, and neither he or Sally objected.

She felt Hilde nudge her side, and she flashed a thumbs-up.

"Nice one, Relena. Who knew you could be so teasing? I guess even the Foreign Minister has her secrets."

At this Heero stared at the floor, knowing that Relena was now looking at him.

"And Heero, if you plan on sleeping at all while you're here, which I recommend you do, this is your room."

Looking up, he found himself into the room directly across from hers.

Although well lit with a chandelier, it was quaint for a room in such a large home.

A four-post bed lay in the right side of the room, with a table on either side, and a desk in the corner with a television. Two doors were on the left side, one leading to a personal bathroom, the other a closet.

The simplicity fit his style, although he'd never say it aloud.

Instead, he merely shrugged and turned to look at them, showing no expression of rejection or acceptance.

"I'm going downstairs to get my stuff. Afterwards, I'll be working on my laptop. No-one is to bother me. Understand?"

Content with the various nods he received, along with a scowl from Wufei, he headed down the hall to the stairs.

Stopping as he passed Relena, he placed his mouth next to her ear.

"If you need me, you know where I'll be."

Not looking to see her reaction, he continued walking, leaving the group gawking behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

here's ch 3! i apologize for it being so short, and unfortuately the next 2 will be as such too.sowwy. hope you enjoy just the same!

* * *

Days passed by with no sign of any threat to Relena, however, Heero's behavior suggested otherwise.

As everyone attempted to get used to Duo's pranks and painfully loud rock music, Relena had her own disturbance to suffer with.

During the time he had been there, no matter where she went, Heero followed her. The only time he wasn't around was during the early morning hours, when he was on his laptop.

He hardly slept, and yet never seemed to show any signs of tiring.

Night fell on day four of Relena's vacation, although she liked to think of it as "imprisonment".

Due to Heero's constant surveillance, she was reduced to taking short walks in the garden, instead of going into town, even just to eat out. He insisted on keeping her indoors as much as possible, and it was beginning to drive her up the wall.

After dinner, she excused herself, claiming to be tired, and headed upstairs as quickly as possible to try and escape Heero, if only for a few minutes.

As expected, light footsteps sounded behind her.

Thoroughly frustrated at this point, she swiftly turned to face her insistent bodyguard.

"Alright, that's enough! I understand, and appreciate, your self-given duties to protect me Heero, but everyone needs a bit of privacy every once in awhile, including myself. Now, I'm going to take a LONG bath, and then I'm going to bed. During that time, please go downstairs!"

She smiled as he nodded quietly.

Not waiting to see him leave, she went into her room and closed the door, completely unaware that Heero had ignored every word she'd said.

Steam filled the room as the bathroom door opened nearly a hour later.

Completely refreshed, Relena literally threw herself onto the bed, now content in every possible way. It was absolutely amazing how much a simple bath could relax a person.

Lying in the darkness of her room, she turned her head slightly to check the time.

The clock read eight-thirty PM. Although it was early, she decided to turn in anyway. Closing her eyes, she smiled softly.

Nothing could break her good mood…not even the fact that Heero was standing in the corner at this very moment. At this she laughed inwardly.

He thought he was so elusive, that she didn't notice his presence.

She'd admit, she couldn't see him through the pitch black, but she really didn't need to. She could sense him, in a way, and for a moment played with the thought that perhaps it was because of their connection with each other.

Silently scolding herself for such thoughts, she rolled over, in the opposite direction of Heero, pulled the blanket over her head, and fell asleep.

The balcony doors creaked slightly as Heero re-entered the room after a quick perimeter check. Giving a glance toward the clock, he watched as the numbers changed from two fifty-nine to three o'clock.

It had been over two days since he'd last slept, and although his body was exhausted, his mind was struggling to keep alert.

Sitting in the chair at the Relena's desk, he pulled out his gun and began to fiddle with it: unloading and reloading, taking it apart and putting it back together in seconds time, anything to ease his boredom.

Paying little attention to what he was doing, he set the gun in one of the desk drawers, crossed his arms, and leaned back.

Staring at the ceiling, he fought to stay awake as his eyes closed, opened, and closed again.

He knew better to give in to exhaustion, but the weight of his eyelids was becoming to much to bear, and the comfortable position he was in didn't help.

As a quiet yawn filled the room, Heero's eyes finally closed completely, and remained so.

After a few minutes time, all that could be heard was the mutual sound of labored breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

After realizing how short the last two chappys were, i opted to combine them into this final chapter. hope you enjoyed my first ever GW fic!!

* * *

After an hour of silence, Heero's eyes snapped open as his mind screamed in alarm. In an instant he was concealed in the shadows, gun in and, staring at the silhouette on the balcony.

His natural instincts screamed at him to attack immediately, but the soldier within him ordered patience.

As the figure took his time picking the lock on the balcony doors, Heero fought his growing anger, forcing his body to wait in the shadows silently for the right time to strike.

Relena's deep, dreamless sleep was suddenly interrupted when she felt a cold wind blow into her room. Sitting up, she had a strange feeling of tightness in her chest upon noticing the open balcony doors.

Although initially she thought it could be Heero's doing, she somehow knew that it wasn't….he was not one to leave the doors wide open.

Attempting to squint through the darkness, she reached over for the lamp on the table next to her, and felt a rough hand grasp her wrist to the point of cutting off circulation.

Although not entirely unexpected, she still couldn't help but tremble as she was pressed back onto the bed. The hand on her wrist moved to cover her mouth, stuffing a piece of cloth so far that she couldn't scream, gasp, or do anything but gag.

She stared at the black form of the man above her, and for some reason, felt more anger toward him than fear.

The fear, however, was there, and it threatened to consume all other emotions as the seconds passed.

Closing her eyes tightly, Relena sucked in cold air as the assaulter proceeded to rip apart her nightgown.

She gripped fistfulls of the bed sheets she lay on, and bit down on the gag in her mouth, preparing for the worst.

But it never came.

Her eyes flew open as the weight on her body disappeared. Now nearly adjusted to the darkness in the room, she ripped the cloth from her mouth and watched in shock as two figures engaged in a personal battle.

In a fit of what he guessed to be rage, Heero rolled across the floor, pulling the man with him.

Swiftly dodging several punches aimed at his head, he brought his gun down to knock the attacker out.

Unfortunately, his grip on the gun was altered by accumulated sweat on his palms, and it was knocked from his hand, sent flying across the room.

Stunned at how quickly he'd lost his weapon, he failed to notice the knife coming his way until it was inches from his heart. Evading the small but deadly blade, his eyes narrowed as the adversary launched another attack.

Using his own quick reflexes, Heero snatched the knife from the man's hand, and, grasping it firmly, tackled him to the floor.

Pinning him down, he momentarily lost self-control as he drove the sharp metal into the enemy's stomach.

As a shriek of pain filled the room, Heero and Relena both looked toward the door as the light as turned on.

In the doorway, Zechs, Noin, and nearly everyone else stood gawking in the doorway, staring down at the dark puddle of blood that had formed on Relena's carpet.

In a nervous attempt to break the tension, Duo cleared his throat and chuckled.

"Damn, Heero, could you take your job any MORE seriously?"

* * *

-It had been nearly twenty-four hours since the attack took place, and already it was covering the news.

The man was identified as Malachi Larson, a former OZ soldier who had been driven to the brink from the wars.

His trial was yet to be determined, but it was more than likely a mental facility was in his future.

It was an exhausting day for all in the mansion, even those who had not witnessed anything. The press didn't let up until nightfall.

Knowing full well that the media would again be at her doorstep come morning, Relena sighed while staring at the black ceiling of her room.

A small, quiet yawn escaped her and closed her eyes, relieved that this threat was finally over.

Now, Heero would no longer have a reason to follow her around. It was like he was playing a game of cat and mouse…and she was certainly not the cat.

Her eyes popped open in realization.

She hadn't seen Heero all day; he had disappeared when the reporters arrived.

The only conclusion was that he had left…again.

And, as usual, it would be unknown how long it would be before she saw him again, if ever.

As she thought more about it, she began to feel a mixture of hurt and bitterness.

He had shown up, saved her, and then vanished without a word.

The circles they ran around each other was tiring and frustrating.

But mostly, it was painful.

Anger seeped into her thoughts for just a moment, before she shook it away to be replaced by sadness.

"Damn you, Heero…"

"Well, that's nice. I almost kill a guy to save your virginity, and you condemn me to damnation. That's not like you, Relena."

She shot up in bed at the deep and sultry voice that floated to her ears from across the room.

"Heero? I…didn't know that you were here." She stuttered, embarrassed and ashamed at her previous statement.

She was shocked, however, to hear what she could have sworn to be a chuckle.

"That was the idea. I would have left earlier, but I realized I had forgotten something."

Not sure of exactly what to say, Relena watched as Heero stepped from the shadows, casually approached the bed, and pulled her toward him to kiss her with an intensity she'd never known before.

As their connection deepened, she felt him set her onto the floor, grasp her shoulders, and push her against the wall.

Smiling, she remembered the last time this had happened to her. The only difference was, this time, she really wasn't afraid.


End file.
